Queixada Beherith
Early Life Queixada was born into the role of High Priestess, leader of a cabal of devout demon worshippers. The priests and priestesses were at the center of a cult devoted to the demon Beherith, Perverse Alchemist and Duke of the Abyss. Their status came from their blood, which long ago the demon had mixed with his own – thousands of years past he appeared in the mortal plane for a short time and took a human lover. The child born from that union was the first priest of the cult, which formed around him in awe of the demon’s power. Since he was indeed half-Infernal his appearance mirrored that of Beherith himself, thereby strengthening his authority. Over the years, the demonic features in the clergy diminished as their blood mixed more and more with humanity. For a time the family bred only with themselves in an attempt to preserve the demon’s blood, but the results proved disastrous and the practice was then abandoned. Upon Queixada’s birth her family rejoiced, as she was the first in a long line of normal-looking human children to exhibit demonic traits. It was taken as a sign, a blessed omen that their demon god had once again infused power into their family line. And so her future was sealed the moment she was born, by her curled horns and eyes that smoldered red. She was to be the High Priestess of the cult. She grew up in luxury, the earth and sky to everyone around her. Nothing was refused her, and the only thing asked of her was to train her mind and spirit so as to one day become the living vessel of Beherith. In this she excelled, born as she was with a natural thirst for knowledge. Some time in her early adolescence, though, she began to suspect that all the cult’s worship and devotion was falling upon unheeding ears. No matter how hard she studied or prayed, she did not feel the power of Beherith as her forefathers promised she would. He existed, that was certain, but it was as though he cared not for the affairs of his followers. Eventually the absence of her god became too heavy a burden for her – she could not live out her life a powerless sycophant to an uncaring deity. She felt she had a capacity, even a destiny for greatness and refused to devote herself to something that granted her nothing in return. So she left the Temple and ran away, taking nothing with her but her clerical discipline and the clothes on her back. She wandered for a time, doing odd jobs in the towns she encountered. Her appearance garnered suspicion and fear from many, which was something new for her. Growing up in the Temple, her horns and blood-red eyes had been a source of awe and respect. But she soon adapted to the outside world’s perceptions, eventually caring little for the opinions of others. Nonetheless she was adrift, lost for those first months. She had grown up learning to respect an awesome power that ultimately proved disappointing, and longed to find some other thing worthy of her worship and love. She was a priest without a god. One day she was traveling through a thick and ominous wood. Her survival skills were minimal at that time, and her loud footfalls attracted the attention of a bear. It was ravenously hungry, and came after her as a hulking, inexorable force. Terrified, she called out for any god that would help her, and it was nature itself that responded. Just as the bear reached her, a tangle of thick vines sprang out of the earth and bound the bear in place long enough for her to escape. A druid’s grove was nearby, and the sudden flow of divine magic caught the attention of its keeper. He followed it to its source and found Queixada, lost in the woods and shaking with fear. His heart was moved with pity for the girl, and he brought her to his abode. The next day, having recovered from her brush with death, Queixada questioned him endlessly about the force that had come so spectacularly to her aid. The druid then began to teach her about the worship of nature. Determined, she devoted all her priestly training to learning to channel the forces of wind and rain, sky and sea. It wasn’t long before she was brought before the society to face the trials, and so become a full-fledged druid. She took a bear as her companion, naming him Zodiark, for though she was no longer afraid of being mauled, she still held the creature in high regard for is sheer destructive power. Living with Nature She lived for a while in her own sacred grove outside a halfling village, but eventually grew restless. She felt she’d learned all she could from solitary communication with her god. Around that time a couple of wandering of adventurers had taken up residence in the village for the winter, waiting for the snows to melt and the mountain passes to open. Ashura Makoto was a paladin of the storm-god Suzanu from the Eastern regions of the world. He had served his kingdom for many years, bringing the good will of his god to the king’s battles on both land and sea. But when the king died without an heir the government changed rapidly, rejecting the once-revered gods and driving their paladins from the homelands. Makoto traveled alone for a time, but was eventually joined by Fenstrider, a ranger from the wild regions of the north. Together they wandered about the world, taking on what tasks that interested them, never staying in one place for long. All that winter they sat in the local tavern before the fire, regaling the villagers with the tales of their journeys. In previous months, Queixada had spent very little time in the village, only venturing from her grove for supplies and to beckon rains and good weather for the residents when she needed coin. On one of those trips, she sensed an unnatural blight upon a field of grain. Seeing it as a affront to the natural order of things, she removed it and unintentionally gained the thanks of the Featherfoot clan. The field had belonged to their family for years, but had long been sought by a jealous neighbor. Hoping to bankrupt the clan by ruining their harvest, the neighbor paid a witch woman to hex the field. Their gratitude to Queixada was great, and they would often send their sons to her grove with gifts – a winter coat when it turned cold, or their special homemade brandy. Gareth Featherfoot was the youngest member of the family, a tempestuous and eager youth who visited the grove often. When he heard the stories of the two travelers he hurried into the forest and hauled its resident into town to hear them as well, as he knew of her restlessness and thought to assuage it. After that she found herself walking into town most every day, until most evenings she could be seen in the company of Makoto and Fenstrider along with Gareth, who always had a mug of ale close at hand. When spring finally came, both she and the halfling youth left the village with them and they journeyed together for many months. In their company she saw much of the world, taking in all the knowledge she could. Of the members of her newfound group, it was with the most unlikely she developed a kinship. Ashura Makoto was as opposed in nature, practice, and background to Queixada as night was day. Where she spent her time in stony, reflective silence, he exuded an almost jubilant aura despite the misfortunes he had weathered. He rarely refused a chance to help a suffering creature, a concept which was foreign to her. She had never met someone so naturally righteous and selfless, and for a time she found him annoyingly baffling. But eventually he won her over, coercing smiles from her whenever he might, and they became friends. A Change Things changed between them, slowly and with little warning so that Quiexada did not notice until one bright afternoon they were ambushed by ogres. Gareth’s talents lay far outside the realm of combat, so the other three shouted for him take shelter in a tree while the battle was waged. Many ogres fell to Fenstrider’s arrows, and astride her bear companion Queixada put her share to claw and spear. But casting her gaze about her, she realized the paladin Makoto was in trouble. The creatures, hoping to take out the strongest-looking fighter in the group, had concentrated their attacks upon him, and he was beset by seven of the beasts. When she looked to him, he had managed to fell all but one, who was clinging to the back of his armor and making ready to drive a long blade through the joints and into his neck. The blood seemed to curdle in her veins and she launched herself at the ogre, ripping him away from his prey and nearly getting her own throat slashed for her trouble. They grappled for a split second until she, in a desperate burst of strength, wrenched the knife from the ogre and plunged it into his heart. It was the first time she’d put her own safety on the line for no foreseeable benefit, the life of another being something she’d never given much consideration for in the past. But the paladin’s safety had taken on an almost holy significance, she could not bear to see him hurt. And she realized there was not a thing she would not do for Makoto, that to see him each day was the thing she looked forward to most. She loved him, and when she found he loved her as well it seemed there was nothing better in the world. Every day with him was a happiness too good to last, and when she was around him she felt there was something good developing in her soul. Months later, the group found themselves high atop a frozen mountain. The view of the towns below was breathtaking, but while they took in the chilly splendor around them a deadly foe approached noiselessly from above. Unbeknownst to them, the peak was home to a ferocious white dragon, and it was determined to make a meal of the intruders. They fought fiercely, but the situation soon turned hopeless. The snow-white monster knocked Queixada from Zodiark’s back with a swipe of its claw, and pinned her to the ground greedily. In the second it made ready to bite her head clean from her shoulders Makoto threw himself across her body with a savage roar and took the blow himself. Despite his armor, the dragon hauled him into the air, piercing his chest with its great teeth before flinging his broken form aside to tend to its original prey. Mad with rage and grief, she leapt upright and charged the dragon, hefting her spear to try to pierce its thick hide with it before joining her paladin in the land of the dead. But it wasn’t her time to die, as another dragon appeared and laid waste to the cruel monster. The newcomer was a silver dragon, shining gloriously in the sunlight, its wingspan a mighty wonder. Queixada stared, and even through her anguish she was overcome with awe. But the dragon disappeared into the sky without a word. The descent from the mountain was a bitter one, and Queixada realized that though the rest of her party were great friends, Makoto was the force that kept them together. His loss froze her heart, driving her far into her own mind. The power of nature had been sufficient so far, but not enough to save her love. Consequently she felt an irresistible draw to find the dragon, to learn from it. So she took leave of her friends and set out with Zodiark in search of the magnificent creature. After weeks of tracking she was finally able to locate the dragon’s lair, in the top peaks of another mountain. Though she knew little about them, it was common enough knowledge that dragons were almost impossible to sneak up on. So, after gathering her courage, she bid Zodiark to stay behind in case approaching the lair would mean certain death. The dragon’s name was Eleinia, and she did not eat the tiny visitor. Instead, she seemed to be pleased and allowed Queixada to stay with her a while, taking the tiefling under her wing. Perhaps Eleniea pitied her raw grief, or she was impressed by Quiexada’s abandonment of her evil heritage. Or perhaps she was just lonely or bored – who knows what motivates a dragon. She imparted much knowledge, which Queixada was eager to devour. She also gave her much needed moral guidance, for her spirit was most vulnerable and her heart ached to change to stone. But the time she spent with the silver dragon on the mountain slowly healed the wounds of her spirit. In her bitterness she had blamed Makoto’s death on his selfless nature, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. But, when she sensed the time was right, Eleniea gently pointed out to her that to disregard her fallen companion’s way of life as worthless was a grave insult to his memory. So Queixada relented after a time, acknowledging the truth in her mentor’s words that sometimes an act of charity was a necessary thing. Slowly but with growing conviction she began to appreciate the goodness that Makoto had stood for, even though that path was one she would likely never travel unless asked by another who she loved and respected. Onwards She couldn’t stay in peace and meditation, however, and the time eventually came to venture back out into the world. Eleniea received word from her own deity, the great golden dragon Bahamut that several worlds in the material plane were in danger, and so she sent Queixada to one of them to do what she could. There she met a new group of companions - Kreegan the Red, Jom Taffa the Trickster, and Reggie the Cleric. They travelled to another world fairly bursting with magic to do what good they could. In their travels, Queixada made a startling discovery. Her tiefling nature was only a part of her varied heritage and some distance back along her lineage was a silver dragon. Eventually, due to the magical nature of the world she was in she was able to activate her heritage and become a half-dragon herself. By this time she had become a terrifyingly powerful druid, able to change shape and appearance at will and summon all manner of beasts and elemental forces. But there was one thing that always consumed her, the need to know more, to do more, to be more. And when she and her companions performed so many deeds in the service of good Bahamut himself came to her and granted her a single boon. Already having become ageless due to her bond with nature, she asked that her life be extended without end. To be immortal would be to be free to grow in knowledge and power until the world itself could no longer contain her. Time passed, and she travelled to world after world bringing the will of Bahamut to bear until she was called back to her own world of Aeris. Her demonic ancestor Beherith had once again taken interest in the world and his cult had begun to flourish. Whatever their plans were, they were foiled when Queixada returned to engage her forefather directly. The battle raged for days, leaving the land forever scarred by magic. To the northeast, the elven lands were broken off from the continent and remain suspended in the air to this day. Countless elves lost their lives, and after the battle was over Queixada did her best to atone, taking the elves under her protection and providing them with strange and powerful knowledge she had garnered in their travels to help them rebuild. To the far north the very fabric of reality had been torn asunder, the tear leading directly to the outer planes. To keep planar outsiders from flooding into Aeris, Queixada worked with the cunning elves and industrious dwarves to build a hugely complicated locking mechanism around the tear. Not only would it keep whatever was on the other side out for the most part, but it could also predict which plane would be aligned with the tear at any given time. The Silver Templars were formed to protect the land from whatever might escape the lock into the world and flourished for hundreds of years until Queixada one day disappeared without a trace, leaving Aeris bereft of her protection.